Bino

How to Avoid Expensive Roaming Charges in Malaysia

February 8, 2013 by Bino 1 Comment

when in malaysia…

Okay guys. I’m sharing this with you because I think you can save quite a bit with this!

For someone like me who lives just across the causeway, trips to Malaysia are almost considered inevitable. In my 5 years in Singapore, I must have visited Malaysia ten or more times. In terms of duration, it can be as short as a daytrip to as long as a few days. While the transportation options to Malaysia can be as cheap as chips, sometimes I come home and find that I’ve incurred hundreds of dollars in roaming charges alone. It’s quite an annoyance considering that I don’t receive any physical good in exchange for what I pay for (yes, I am a visual person) so it’s really important for me that my mobile services are as cheap as possible!

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Ilocos Adventure Pt3: Stepping Back in Time in Vigan

February 6, 2013 by Bino 3 Comments

If there ever was a much awaited leg in my trip, this had to be it. For the longest time, I had wanted to visit Vigan – the Philippines’ own UNESCO World Heritage town. Vigan was a name that had captured my imagination. Like a town jumping out from the pages of a history book, Vigan is said to be the best example of a Spanish colonial town in Asia and I wanted to see for myself whether this is really the case. For some odd reason, I had my first exposure with these UNESCO World Heritage towns overseas, namely with Penang and Malacca in Malaysia and then with Luangprabang in Laos. Vigan was a destination that I had kept waiting for far too long.

From Laoag, we had set out early in the morning for Vigan, again stopping by some interesting sights along the way. But before heading south, we detoured east-ward towards Sarrat, which today is more known to be Ferdinand Marcos’ birthplace. The major landmark here is of course, the house where our ex-President was born. Though looking humble by today’s standards, it is certainly well-preserved. Parts of it were redone in brick while the second storey still retained the typical turn of the 20th century Filipino-style wooden panels. Admission here was free and we were treated to actual paraphernalia used by the former president as well as a peek into the actual room where he was born.

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Ilocos Adventure Pt2: From Laoag to Pagudpud

January 31, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

The second leg of my Ilocos trip took me from Laoag up to the the northernmost tip of the island of Luzon, stopping by the many interesting places in between. I had a different mindset about this leg. There is a strange and indescribable curiosity that one gets when going to a land’s end, as if one expects to find a pot of gold or the landscape dramatically changing. But I digress.

In all honesty, the entire landscape of Ilocos is quite different from what I am used to in Manila. There is a certain dryness in the land that accommodates what is probably the largest patch of “desert” in the Philippines, endless tobacco plantations as well as plenty of sun baked grass fields. This has translated to a landscape that is slightly different from the rest of the island and for this second leg of my Ilocos trip, I was able to visit some of these “quirks.”

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Ilocos Adventure Pt1: Laoag & Surrounds

January 20, 2013 by Bino 7 Comments

One of the places I’d always wanted to visit in the Philippines was the Ilocos Region. Impressive churches, colonial towns, the legacy of what is undoubtedly the country’s most “famous” president and the hometown of many national heroes; it has what is probably the most concentrated number of heritage architecture in the country. Over the Christmas holidays, I had the opportunity to have a change of pace for this journey up north.

A popular way to get here from Manila is by car, where it can take up to 11 hours drive. I chose to go by air instead – cutting the travel time by more than 90%. I landed in Laoag, the main air gateway into the Ilocos Region on a fiery hot December afternoon. Laoag International Airport is designated as such due to charter flights that land here from time to time. In fact, Laoag is almost equally as near to Taiwan than it is to Manila so it is no surprise that a lot of tourists from the neighbor up north come here for the weekends.

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Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore Staycation – A Review

January 17, 2013 by Bino 7 Comments

There are certain brands that are so powerful that the mere mention of its name requires no further explanation. I suppose that when it comes to the Ritz Carlton brand, most people come in with a certain impression, a certain expectation of what this brand represents. For many, the Ritz Carlton is considered to be at the apex of hotel chain brands, one that is timeless, synonymous to luxury, and providing impeccable service. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore for a weekend staycation dubbed as “Time to Getaway.” I was of course very delighted to be able to stay in this hotel, and like many, I also had my own impressions about the brand which did not deviate from the perception of the general public.

Given that this brand is so easily recognizable, I decided to do something different during my stay. I decided to start from a clean slate, without any preconception of utter plushness or the thought of having hotel staff at my beck and call. I wanted to base my overall experience from scratch.

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Daytripping Taal Heritage Town in Batangas

December 31, 2012 by Bino 8 Comments

During the Christmas holidays, I took advantage of the relatively traffic-free streets to venture on a 2-hour or so drive out to Taal, Batangas after hearing a lot of positive feedback about this relatively unknown place. The word “Taal” by itself is quite well-known mainly because of its namesake volcano but it is also the name of a town nearby. There were two things at the top of my mind that I wanted to see, the first being the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, said to be the largest church in Asia. The second was the Villavicencio House, one of Taal’s numerous ancestral mansions, and one which I discovered through an old issue of Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine.

welcome to taal!

The night before the trip, I scrambled to research more about the town, and to my surprise, there was actually a long list of sights to see there. There are no less than 8 historical-mansions-turned-museums in the quaint old town of Taal. There is of course the Basilica, and there are a couple of other religious sites which can easily take up a full day’s worth of sightseeing. I left my home in Metropolitan Manila at about 7 in the morning, and managed to arrive in Taal around two and a half hours later.

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What to See & Do In Lisbon

December 15, 2012 by Bino 2 Comments

view of castelo de sao jorge from one of the miradors

Located at the western edge of continental Europe, Lisbon is rarely top of mind as far as European capitals are concerned. The center of a once mighty and glorious empire, I came with few expectations but left brimming with praise for this underrated and often overlooked destination. Buildings painted in bright shades of yellow, pink and blue, floors decked in mosaic tiles and maze-like old quarters bursting with tales from days of yore. Lisbon has a lot of attractions and exudes character that is in no way inferior to more popular European destinations and certainly deserves a few days to discover its essence.

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The Underrated City of Malaga

December 9, 2012 by Bino 2 Comments

Malaga, despite being one of Spain’s largest cities (it is the 2nd largest city in Andalucia) and a transport hub for those heading to the historical sites in Seville, Granada and Cordoba, is one of the most underrated destinations in Spain and often relegated to the obligatory one-night transit. I came here expecting nothing but was pleasantly surprised by the chill vibe, pleasant coastal scenery as well as the preponderance of great eating places across the city.

the city’s seaside is a great place for a paseo (or a stroll)… it’s lined by lots of bars and chic restaurants serving spanish fare focusing on seafood

The city is located in the costa del sol, near the southern tip of Spain. Geographically, it is closer to Africa than it is to Madrid. As Malaga is situated on the coast, its weather is milder and more pleasant than Granada or Seville, where it can get unbearably hot. This city is also the transport hub of Andalucia so getting here is a breeze. Tons of budget airlines fly to Malaga from all over Europe. In that sense, lots of people do make it here but few ever get to see the city. Those who do often stay just to sleep before transiting to beach getaways like Marbella or to Granada. I made my way to Malaga after Granada, and like most visitors, did not expect much aside from the customary transit stop. But as I discovered, Malaga does have its charms and deserves at least a day of exploration.

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